Persona 3- Death and the Fool
by Sari-tan
Summary: Makoto and Minato. Dealt two versions of the wild card. The former can use any arcana, and the latter is limited to a select few. Together, with the rest of SEES, they must find the secrets of Tartarus and eliminate the Dark Hour. Obviously AU. Different Universe from Genuine Bonds.
1. A New World

Hey guys! Welcome to my other project, The Death and the Fool. I had this idea for a little while, and decided to act on it! And honestly, I'm having writers block for genuine bonds. This one comes more naturally for some reason. Heads up, this '' marks a character thinking. Also, remember Kotone is the female protagonist! That may be a little confusing to those who have read Genuine Bonds. With that, enjoy!

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_Kotone's POV_

"Yaawn... Nato, how much longer till we reach our stop?"

"Actually, we're here."

"Aw sweet!"

"You're excited as always Kotone."

"Ah! Pharos don't scare me like that."

"But it's fun..."

My name is Kotone Arisato-Sakuya. My younger brother, Minato Arisato-Sakuya, and I are being transferred again. You might be wondering why we have two last names. My mom's name is Arisato, and my Dad is Sakuya. My mom kept her name, so I go by Sakuya and my brother by Arisato. Because of this, people never know we're related. We were orphaned 10 years ago, and have been moving across Japan for a long time. Now we're moving to Tatsumi Port Island, and staying at least until Nato graduates. We were both excited to finally be staying somewhere!

'Now that I think about it, we've been here before. We didn't stay long though. That was when… never mind.'

I quickly dismissed my thought process. Anyways we'll be living at the Iwatodai dorms. Oh, I almost forgot! The kid wearing a prisoner's outfit is Pharos. We've known him for 5 years. He kinda came outta no where. One day I woke up and he was staring at me. No one else can see him besides Nato. Pharos is like a little brother to me.

"Nato, Pharos, ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"I'm always here big sis."

"Then, let's start our new life."

We exited the train, the the world went dark.

"*sigh* I was hoping this wouldn't happen."

"Seems like it happens everywhere Koto."

The sky went green, coffins replaced the people, water turned to blood, and there was a disturbing aura. We've been experiencing this phenomenon for 10 years. Every day at midnight. Occasionally we'd see these black blobs, but we've managed to stay away from them.

"I guess we should make our way to the dorms."

"I'll meet you two there."

"Alrighty, see ya Pharos."

Later...

"Here we are. Our new home."

We entered to see Pharos holding something.

"If you want to proceed, then please sign here. It's a contract. There's no need to be scared. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."

"I chooseth this fate of my own free will? What do you think Nato?"

"I trust Pharos, let's sign."

**Kotone Sakuya**

**Minato Arisato**

"...Very well. Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away. And so it begins..."

Pharos disappeared.

"...Who's there!?"

Nato and I looked like a deer in headlights. The voice came from a girl wearing a pink cardigan and a short skirt.

'...Actually I think that's a normal skirt length. She's just wearing it kinda high.'

"How can you be... But it's...! Don't tell me..."

"Is that a gun!?"

Nato took a defensive stance in front of me.

"Wait!"

"...!"

A redhead with a white blouse and black skirt walked downstairs, and the lights turned back on.

_Minato's POV_

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

"...Who are they?"

'Why is she talking like I'm not here?'

"They're transfer students. It was a last minute decision to assign them here. They'll eventually be moved to a room in the normal dorm."

"...Is it okay for them to be here?"

"I guess we'll see... This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

"...Hi, I'm Yukari."

"I'm Kotone Sakuya. This is Minato Arisato, my younger brother."

"Wait, you have different last names?"

"We'll explain later."

"Why do you have a gun?" I cut to the chase.

"Huh? Um, well, it's sorta like a hobby...Well, not a hobby, but..."

"You know how it is these days... It's for self-defense. It's not a real gun, of course. It's getting late. Takeba, please take them to their rooms. Their belongings should already be there."

'I'm not an idiot. It's obvious that she's lying. But I'll keep it to myself. For now.'

"Oh... I'll show you the way. Follow me."

Yukari took us to the second floor to drop me off at my room.

"Pretty easy to remember, huh? ...Since it's right at the end of the hall. So, any questions?"

'No point in saying anything about Pharos.'

"What's the real reason you have a fake gun? Assuming it's fake."

"...Trust me. You're better off not knowing."

'I'm not gonna get anything out of her...'

"I have a question. Why do you wear your skirt so high?"

Yukari blushed. "Um... Can I ask you guys something?"

She quickly tried to change the subject.

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

'She _was _awake in that hour. Maybe she knows something. This is my chance.'

"The sky turned green, coffins were everywhere, it was really bloody, I take it you know something about it?"

Yukari looked shocked.

"Good call Nato. Is that gun related to that hour?"

"Um... what was that Mitsuru-Senpai! You need me right now! Coming! Sorry guys!"

Yukari ran away.

"She knows about the hour Koto."

"Maybe we'll finally learn what that's all about. We should go to sleep. Night Nato."

The next day...

"It's Yukari and Kotone. Are you awake?"

"Yeah, coming."

"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?"

I nodded.

"Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. I'm kinda excited actually."

Yukari smiled at me. She's kinda cute when she's not trying to kill me with toys.

"Not often you hear someone being excited about school. Hope that enthusiasm lasts! Let's go."

Yukari walked off.

"You seem chipper Nato."

"Not really. I just wanna find out more about this hour."

"Come on you two!"

Later...

"We have to take the monorail to get there. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?"

"Nope!" Kotone said.

"This is my favourite part... when it feels like you're gliding over the sea."

"It's beautiful, huh Nato."

"It is isn't it."

"Our stop is Port Island Station at the end of the line. From there, we walk. Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island? It's a man-made island. They build our school right in the middle. Oh, look, you can see it now!"

"Whoa, it's huge."

At the school...

"Well, here we are... Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here! You're okay from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is right there to the left. ...And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"Where do we find which classrooms we're in?" Kotone asked.

"I think they're posted on the bulletin board, but I haven't checked yet either. Hey... About last night... Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay? ... See ya later."

"...Wow. My name is on a freaking sticky note. *sigh*"

"It's not a big deal. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

At the faculty office.

"Oh, are you the new student? 11th grade, correct?"

"Yup."

"Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places... Let's see... In 1999... That was what, ten years ago? Your parents-

*gasp*

I'm sorry... I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand. I'm Ms. Toriumi, I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

'...bitch. No Minato, be nice.'

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise.. Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."

At the ceremony.

"As you begin the new school year, I'd like each of you to remember the proverb, 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to student life, this means..."

The Principal continues with his speech...

"Psst... Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together with some other chick. I have a question. Do you know if either of them have boyfriends?"

"That "chick" is my sister. And she's off limits."

"Fair enough. What about Yukari?"

"I don't know her that well, we only met yesterday."

"I see. I thought you might know, but... I guess not. ...So, how well do you know her?"

"I hear talking. I believe it's someone in Ms. Toriumi's class…"

"Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

"What a fantastic teacher." I muttered.

Back in the room…

"S'up, dude? How's it goin'?" The cap wearing boy exclaimed.

'I hate this guy already. I shouldn't judge people I suppose…I have a feeling Koto would like this guy.'

"What do you want."

"Oh, come on. Let me introduce myself, at least. I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in eighth grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So I wanted

to say, "hey." ...See what a nice guy I am!"

'Maybe this guy is alright…'

My train of thought was broken by Yukari walking in.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

Yuka-tan?

"*sigh* At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But, I was just bein' friendly."

"It's fine. He's cool."

"Of course I am! See!"

"If you say so. Anyway, looks like we're in the same homeroom…"

"It's just a coincidence."

'What you think I'm stalking you or some shit?'

" I know, but still... I was a little surprised."

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too? By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning with some other fine mama. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

'Why is everyone hitting on my sister?'

"That's my sister you no touchy."

Junpei rose his hands defensively, and I smirked.

'He's kinda funny I'll admit.'

"Wh-What are you talking about Stupei!? We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried... Hey... You didn't say anything to anyone about.. you know what, did you?"

'I'ma mess with her.'

"You know what?"

"Don't tell me you forgot already! Seriously... Don't say anything about last night, alright?"

'Dammit Yukari.'

"Wh-What?"

"L-Last night...?"

"W-Wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us! Geez... I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But, you better not start any rumors!"

"Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid... I bet she'd get all bent out of shape if their was a rumor about Hitler coming back to life or some other nonsense, jeez. But, hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man! Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

"People… talking about me…"

"You okay bro?"

"Yeah. Fine."

Just then, Koto walked in.

"Hey Nato, ready to go?"

"Yeah. Koto, this is Junpei-kun, Junpei-kun, Kotone. She's your Senpai"

"Nice to meet you Junpei-kun."

"Same to you Mako-senpai! Hey, why don't I walk home with you guys."

"You okay with it Nato?"

"Sure why not."

"Alright, come on bamanos!"

As I expected, the two hit it off.

"Whoa, check out the jocks on their run...Hey, did anyone tell you about the school clubs yet?

Girls can join too, so why not do it if you're interested? You'd be joining as a new member, though, so you won't be able to apply for a little while. You interested in sports Minato-kun?"

"I've been in a few clubs."

"You should join Kendo. It's really cool!"

The three of us made small talk and inappropriate jokes until we reached the dorms.

At the dorms…

"Welcome back."

I nodded at her.

"Sup Mitsuru-chan!"

"You two must be tired. You should get some sleep."

A cool looking upperclassman walked by us.

"Oh, you two must be the newbies. I'm Akihiko Sanada. A senior."

"I'm Minato Arisato."

"K-k-k-k-"

I smacked Koto upside the head.

"-otone Sakuya!"

"Nice to meet you."

"I'm just gonna grab Kotone and take her upstairs, that cool with you?"

"Um yeah?"

"Good."

I grabbed my stunned sister and dragged her upstairs. I overheard my senpai talking downstairs.

"...Do they have the potential?"

"We don't know yet. They were both in the dark hour, so it's a possibility. We're planning a test soon."

"Dark Hour. Is that what it's called?" I whispered to myself.

"Alright. Would be nice to have some help."

"Indeed."

"Help with what?" I wondered.

"Anyway. I'm going out for a bit."

"...Hm?"

"Have you seen the newspapers lately?"

" ...I who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome… I've seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress, but…"

"Yeah, right. It has to be THEM. Otherwise, it's not worth my time…"

"You have a one-track mind... Will you be okay on your own?"

"Don't worry, I'm just getting a little practice."

"*sigh* This isn't a game, Akihiko…"

"Them… those black blobs? I'll sleep on this."

"What happened?"

"You lost all self-respect when you saw Akihiko-Senpai."

"Come on he was kinda cute."

"No."

The next day…

"Did you hear the rumor...?"

"Oh, um... something about... a bathroom?"

"N-No! Not that one! I mean the one about the first-year student! Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day. If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself, 'It's coming... It's coming...!'"

"Huh. How about that."

"You don't believe me...?"

"That must be about that apathy syndrome." I concluded.

In the classroom

"Hakushu Kitahara is great, but I think I prefer Fuyuhiko Yoshimura. His works aren't as famous, but that's what I like about him. My personal favorite is "Mangekyo." Why isn't it ever in textbooks...? I'll bring it next time so you can write an essay on it. ...Hey, Junpei! Were you listening? Who did I say was my favorite author?"

"H-Huh? U-Ummm... Psst! Who does she like?"

"Fuyuhiko Yoshimura."

"That's right! So you were listening to me after all!"

"Eheheh... Well, you know how I like to pay attention!"

'Bullshit'

"Man, you saved my bacon, Minato!"

"Minato gave him the answer... He must pay attention in class!"

At the dorms...

Who's the sophisticated man?

"Oh, they're back."

"So, these are our new guests…"

"Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. "Ikutsuki"... Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes...Please, have a seat. I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive a proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"Why are you here?"

"To welcome you, of course. Well, to be honest, I do have other business here. Speaking of which... where's Mitsuru, Yukari?"

"She's upstairs."

"As diligent as always. Although, it doesn't hurt to come down and say hello... Is there anything else?"

'Hm, so she's naturally cold. Even to someone she seems to have known for a while.'

"That was my only question."

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me…You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, "The early bird catches the bookworm!"...Please forgive the bad pun. *chuckle*"

"PFFT HAHAHAHAHAHAH OH MY GOD THE WORM! AND THE BOOK! HAHAHAHA!"

I gave Kotone a WTF look.

"This one shows great promise."

With that, Ikutski left.

"MY RIBS!"

"Don't worry I got her."

Once again, I dragged Kotone upstairs.

Later in my room…

"So… Yukari-chan seems stuck up, Akihiko-senpai seems too full of himself, Ikustski thinks he's funny, and Mitsuru-senpai is distant. I'm probably being a judgemental jerk huh. I tend to assume the worst."

I looked up and saw a camera in the corner of my room.

"Probably trying to spy on me."

I hit the camera with one of my books.

"With that, I'm hitting the hay."

_Kotone's POV_

A camera? Why would they need a camera?

"I'm not taking any chances."

I reached up and took the camera down.

After I fell asleep…

"...Where am I going? Is this a dream?"

I was greeted by a long nosed man, and a man and woman dressed in blue. On my left was Minato, who looked as confused as I did.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man and woman. My name is Igor. ...I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This is Elizabeth and Theodore. They are residents here, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you." They both said

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It's been years since we've had a guest. Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return... that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

"Is this a dream?"

"Precisely... You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later. Hold on to this…"

A key dropped into my hand.

"'Til we meet again…"

The next day…

Junpei ran up to the two of us.

"What's up!? Man, today is the perfect day! The sky is blue... We're young... What more could we ask for!?"

"You're full of energy Junpei-kun."

Of course! Dude, listen to this... Oh, wait! I'm not supposed to say anything! Sorry, man. *chuckle*"

"I think you need rest." Minato said.

"Dude, I'm not sick! Forget the ol' Junpei...! This is the REAL me! You should cheer up, too. After all, you've got ME as a friend."

It was that night. That it all began.

"GET UP NOW!"

"Yukari? Wait no don't rip the sheets-"

"OH GOD YOU SLEEP NAKED! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON AND GET A MOVE ON!"

"THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU! HOW CAN YOU BARGE INTO MY ROOM, RIP OFF MY SHEETS AND MAKE DEMANDS!?"

"Hey are you too o...kay…"

"M-Minato-kun!"

"Am I… interrupting something?"

"Hell no!" Yukari and I said at the same time blushing.

"Good. I have my hands full with guys already."

We heard muttering coming from Yukari's direction.

"Y-Yes! I hear you!... W-what!?"

"What's going on!?"

"PUT ON YOUR GODDAMN CLOTHES! And grab this when you're done!" Yukari pulled out a naginata..

"Y-YES MA'AM!"

"Aren't you supposed to be the Senpai Koto?"

We heard talking from downstairs.

"It's heading upstairs Akihiko!"

"We need to go after it!"

"Right!"

"Where are Yukari and the others?"

"Oh no."

**SMASH**

"THE FUCK IS THAT!?" I asked with my clothes finally on.

A black thingy with a blue mask and like 18 million arms smashed through the wall and was staring us down.

"Oh no!" Yukari rose a gun to her head.

"THE FUCK IS THIS!?"

A woman in a cow skull appeared and engulfed the enemy in some sort of light.

"THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"

"Did you just heal that guy?" Kato asked.

"..." Yukari facepalmed.

The shadow gave one of the creepiest, most unnatural smiles I had ever seen. Then looked at Nato and me.

"**I foooound yoooou."**

"I summon thee!"

A cold chill went down our spines and the monster fell over.

"You three. To the roof now!"

"What about you!?"

"That's an order!"

"Leave it to us!" Akihiko said catching up.

"But-!"

Yukari grabbed our wrists and ran.

"S-Senpai!" Kato yelled looking back.

"Let's go to the roof, we'll be safe there!"

Yukari locked the door behind her.

"We can't leave them alone!" I exclaimed.

"They're experienced, unlike us. All we can do is wait."

"AHH!"

We felt a wave of heat wash over us. Yukari put her hand on her ear.

"Senpai!? Senpai!?"

"...I'm not gonna sit here and let someone get killed just because I'm scared." Nato kicked the door trying to break it open.

"Stop you idiot!"

"HA!" Nato broke the lock and ran in!

"Stop!"

Yukari and I ran in to find Mitsuru laying on her side, giving the monster a death glare, and Akihiko standing in front of it, bent over slightly tired. Nato and I ran past the shadow. Nato crouched down next to Mitsuru and put his arm under her back, trying to support her. I put my arm around Akihiko trying to help him stay up.

"**There you are!"**

"I told you to go!" Mitsuru yelled.

"Don't be heroes!"

Minato took out a sword.

"Nato! You're not doing this alone!"

Nato smiled at me. Yukari was no where to be found.

"Did she run away?"

"**Time to die!"**

Then. Time stopped. Pharos walked up with a smug look on his face.

"Where have you been?!" I asked.

"I've been watching the whole time. It's time I help out too. Here."

Pharos gave us two blank cards. Mine turned into a man about to walk off a cliff, and Nato's turned into a skull.

"What are these?"

"You'll see. Trust your instincts." With that, he disappeared and time resumed. Nato closed his eyes.

"I won't let any innocents die again. Especially not to freaks like you! Per-"

The monster looked scared.

"-so-" The monster charged.

"-na." Minato smashed the card and a blue fire engulfed Minato and the monster flew back.

When the fire dispersed, a small blond girl appeared in front of Minato. Minato had the most cocky grin I had ever seen.

"I am thou. Thou art I. From the sea of thine soul I commeth. I am Alice, bringer of your opponent's demise.

"Alice." He said. "Megido!"

Small blue orbs hit the monster! He was knocked back into the wall!

"He summoned a persona!"

"Without an evoker!"

"You're nothing but a bully. You're a weak sad sack that picks on the weak, but once that weakling stands up, you're screwed."

Just then, an arrow hit the monster in the eye, causing it to screech in agony. We looked up to see it was from Yukari.

"Those monsters! We call them shadows!"

While we were distracted, the shadow returned aiming for Nato. Instinctively, I did the same as he.

"Per-"

"**Not again!"**

"-so-"

"-na."

Now I knew why Minato made that face. I could feel power and warmth rising through my body. In front of me was a gray humanoid with a harp.

"I am thou, and thou art I. From the sea of thine soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings."

"Orpheus! Bash!"

Orpheus knocked the shadow into the air, and uppercutted it, letting it tumble down the stairs. We looked down at our feet and saw two guns.

"Hey wait!" Akihiko screamed. "Do you know what those are!?"

Without saying a word, we put the guns to our heads.

"PERSONA!" we both yelled. Glass came from the other sides of our heads and two new personae appeared.

"I am thou, thou art I. From the sea of thine soul I commeth. I am Black Frost, the superior Jakai Hee ho!" Minato's

"I am thou, thou art I. From the sea of thine soul I commeth. I am King Frost, the king of Jakai Hee ho!" And mine.

"TWO!?" Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Yukari screamed in surprise.

"KING AND I!" A giant Jack frost came and smashed the shadow! It ran away in fear!

"Big bro! Big sis!" Pharos' voice rang in their minds. "Don't let it get away!"

"Right!" We both exclaimed. We ran after it with Yukari hesitatingly following.

"Black Frost!"

"King Frost!"

"BUFULA!" The shadow fell down!

"Here's our chance for an all out attack! If you give the okay, we'll charge into that shadow and attack with all our might!"

"Sounds awesome Yukari-chan!" I said. "Let's go"

"Lemme at em!"

All three of us charged into the shadow! We kept getting knocked back, but we did a good amount of damage!

"Please hit!" Yukari fired an arrow into the shadows arm!

"Ha!" Nato ran up and sliced one of the shadows arms off!

"Yah!" I jumped in and did the same!

"What's all the commotio- what the hell!?"

"Junpei!?" Yukari yelled. She yells a lot.

"Yuka-tan!? Mako-senpai!? Minato-kun!?"

The shadow charged for Junpei!

"Junpei! Catch!" Yukari threw her evoker at him!

"A gun!?"

"Shoot yourself!"

"What the hell Yuka-tan! I know you don't really like me but-"

"TRUST ME!"

Junpei quickly used his evoker, and out came a humanoid with armor, a long mask, and wings coming out of his wrists.

"I am thou, and thou art I. From the sea of thine soul I commeth. I am Hermes, messenger of the Gods!"

"Cleave!"

The persona did as told and sliced right through the shadow!

Yukari followed up and stuck another arrow in him.

"Nato!"

"Right!"

Nato and I headed straight for the shadow and smashed him onto the ground with our weapons. Minato picked him up by his mask.

"Let this be a lesson to you buddy. You can kill me. I don't give a fuck about my life. But fuck with Koto, Yukari-chan, Mitsuru-senpai, Akihiko-senpai, Junpei-kun, or anyone else, it's your funeral."

"Minato-kun…"

"Dude…"

I just looked at him sadly.

"Ready Koto!"

"Y-yeah!"

"Come! Thanatos!"

"**It's my time to shine!"**

Thanatos had a bear trap like head, wore a black robe, and was surrounded by coffins. He took his sword and sliced the shadow in half. Then he took the mask and absorbed it, and a ray of light spread through all of us. I felt, stronger some how. And I felt a surge of energy in my personae too.

"We did it!" I high fived Nato, then the world went black.

"-ki!" "Ar!" "-to!" with that. We lost consciousness.

Both of us could still see what was going on, probably through Pharos.

"We need to get them to a hospital!" Akihiko exclaimed, grabbing Minako and putting my unconscious body on his back.

Mitsuru was crouched down next to Nato.

"Arisato…" She put her fingers through his hair, praying that the two of us would be alright.

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And thus ends chapter one. As you may be able to tell, this will be a retelling of Persona 3, with some changes. Some minor, some major. Remember to review! Point out inconsistencies and issues you may have! Also, the pairings have not been finalized. So expect Kotone and Minato to have ship teases with multiple characters. With that, see you guys next time!


	2. The Dark Hour

"It's so nice to see you again. You became unconscious after awakening to your "power." I see that it was Orpheus and Alice that heeded your calling. That power is called a Persona... It is a manifestation of your psyche."

"Persona?"

"A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli... You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships."

"A mask?"

"When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links - your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona Ability. Please remember that. Minato-sama. Your ability is more... traditional. "

"Traditional?"

"Yes, but alas, Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then...

Farewell."

...

"Minato-kun! Kotone-senpai! You're awake...! Um, how do you feel?"

"Where am I...?"

"Thank goodness. You finally came to...Oh, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He said you were just exhausted... Um… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything...But, your power... It was amazing."

"Hold up Yukari-chan. What do you mean you couldn't do anything. You protected us, got us to the hospital, got some sweet hits on that shadow, you were incredible."

Minato is one of those people who feels bad about himself, but hates when other people do it. He always puts other people first.

"In fact, you were better than us."

"What do you mean Senpai?"

"You couldn't use your persona, we could. We had a distinct advantage. You still held your own. You should be proud."

'Oh... thank you."

"Aw she's blushing."

"Shut up Minato-kun!"

So Tsundere Yukari-chan.

"So, I take it you know about personae and shadows. We'll go more in depth later. Sorry I didn't tell you before. I, uh... I wanted to tell you that... ...I'm sorta like you guys."

"What do you mean?"

"My dad died in an accident when I was little... And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms... ...You're all alone too, right? To be honest, I already know about your past... But, it didn't seem fair, so I wanted you to know about mine... It as back in '99...There was a big explosion in the , my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened... He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group. So, I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out 's why I'm going to Gekkoukan high, and why I was there when this happened to you. ...Of course, I panicked and wasn't much... It was my first time fighting them here I am telling you all this the minute you wake up. While I was waiting, I thought to myself, 'I've been hiding so many things from them... As soon as they wake up, I'll tell them the truth.' So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time."

"Feel free to talk to us anytime. We're both all ears."

"Thank you Senpai. I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up. ...Oh, and, uh... You don't have to be formal around me or anything. B-Bye."

"Yaaawn... finally I can strech."

"Alice!?"

"Sup me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I figured you'd have more questions about personas, or personae, or whatever. And by 'figured' I mean 'knew' because, well, I am you. So ask away." Said Alice.

"Well, first, what do you mean by I am you?' Igor said you were parts of our psyche, or 'masks.' Can you go more into that?"

"I am your tamed shadow. By shadow, I mean the things you try to hide, or ignore. For all your other personae, they are small parts of your psyche. A shadow is also part of your psyche. So I am you."

"How did you become tamed?"

"You unconsciously accepted me in everyday life, then you were thrown into a life or death situation. Then again, being a wild card may have something to do with it."

"That's another thing. What's a wild card?"

"A wild card is someone who can use multiple personas."

"Igor said I was a 'traditional' wild card. What is that?"

"Your sister can use personae of any arcana. She is the first wild card Igor has seen with such power. You, however, are limited to thirteen. I am of the death, and black frost is fool."

"Where did the frosts come from."

"They're parts of your psyche that awakened shortly after we did."

"Can all personae talk?"

"All of yours can Minato. Kotone's, and the others can't. I'm not sure why though…"

"Who is Thanatos?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Okay, last question, why is my inner self a little girl, and hers a half machine half man musician."

"We only took forms you were comfortable with. And that may be fitting. You'll understand soon. With that, see ya me."

...

"MINATO! KOTO-SENPAI!"

"Junpei-kun! You're hurting me!"

"How are you able to get your tears in an arch, and land four inches away from you?"

"Junpei! Don't kill them before we get to talk to them!"

"Arisato. Sakuya. Welcome back."

"Kotone, Minato, glad to see you've recovered."

Everyone surrounded us, obviously glad to see us again.

"We managed to fix up the dorm while you two were away."

"Hey it's awesome pun making guy!"

"Good to see you too Kotone. If you don't mind, could you two please come up to the command room? We have much to discuss."

At the command room.

"I'm glad that you two are okay. I wasn't sure what I'd do if anything had happened to you.  
>The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you. Please, have a seat. Let me start off by asking you this… Would you believe me if I said that a day consist of more than 24 hours?"<br>"What'chu talkin 'bout 'kustski?"

"Do you remember the night you came here? You had to have noticed the signs… The streetlights went out... Nothing was working... There were coffins everywhere… Didn't it feel like you were in a different time...? That's the Dark Hour - a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"OH that. I didn't put two and two together."

"*sigh* Koto."  
>"I guess it's more like something people aren't aware of. But, the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight. I'll happen tonight, and every night to come.<p>

"Normal people don't realise it, since they're all sleeping inside their coffins. But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting. ...You saw those creatures. We call them "Shadows." They only appear during the Dark Hour, and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them. ...Sounds exciting, huh?"

"Hell yeah it does!" Whoa I forgot Junpei-kun was here...

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!"

"Now, now. He does his work well. Long story short… We're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad - SEES for paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this  
>group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor."<p>

"A Shadow feeds on the mind of it's prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

"And we fight them with our personae right?"

"Exactly. Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's "Persona" - the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."

"In other words, we get to be heroes!" Junpei stood up and struck a heroic pose.

"Junpei sit down."

So demanding Yukari-chan.  
>Junpei begrudgingly sat back down.<br>"I think we got it." Said Nato.

"I'm glad you're quick to understand"

Mitsuru pulled out a silver case.

'Hey it's those guns from the other night.'

"What he's trying to say is, we want you guys to join us. We've prepared Evokers for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

"Hm… Nato?"

"We can't just let this power go to waste. Let's go for it."

"Alright, we're in."

"*sigh* I was afraid you'd say no… Welcome aboard!" Yukari said cheerfully.

"I'm so glad to have you two along. I don't know the other guys here too well. Well besides Yuka-tan." Junpei added..

"Thank you so much. I'm really glad. Oh, I almost forgot... About your room assignment… Why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the hold up is, but I guess it worked out in the end. *chuckles*"

"Holdup? But, wasn't that-Oh, never mind…"

With a loud smash, time stopped.

"_**I am thou, and thou art I. **_

_**Thou hast established a new bond.**_

_**Thou shalt have our blessing when fusing personae of the Fool arcana."**_

I looked around, and everyone was frozen except for Nato.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah. This must be one of those 'social links.'"

Time resumed...

"You're probably still tired. You two need to get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. And… please don't destroy dorm technology anymore… that stuff is expensive..."

Aaaand now he's gone. He's right though. We should get some sleep.

Later, when I was in Minato's room talking about what happened.

"Hi, how are you?"  
>"Pharos! We've missed you! You haven't been around as much…"<p>

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to interrupt what was going on. Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"The end?" Nato asked.  
>"I'm sorry, I don't really know what the end is either… Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power...and an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none...It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up. Do you remember when we first met? I expect you to honor your commitment. I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me…"<p>

Nato smiled at Pharos. "How could we ever forget you?"

Pharos smiled back.

"By the way. Are you Thanatos?"

Pharos nodded. "You've always been smart Big bro."

"Hey what about me!?"

"You've always been smart big bro."

Before I could respond Pharos disappeared.

Nato smirked. "He gets his snarkiness from me."

With that, we called it a night.

The next day…

_Minato's POV_

"*yawn* I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there…"  
>"Can I have a minute?"<p>

Oh. It's Mitsuru-Senpai and Koto.  
>"Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone. I'll save the details for later. See you there."<p>

"That was fast…" Koto said.

"She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us."

Do I detect a hint of resentment Yukari-chan?

"Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense some hostility?"

Everyday I start to like you more Junpei-kun.

"Well, it's not that I don't like her... She's just… N-Never mind. Hey, why don't we head to the mall on the way back?"

The four of us went to the mall while talking. That night...

"I think we're about ready…"

"Ready for what Akihiko-kun?" Koto asked.  
>"For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But that number recently jumped to six. Therefore… Starting tonight at 12:00AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."<br>"Tartarus...? What's that? ...Sounds like toothpaste."

"Isn't that like… hell? In greek mythology?"

"Oh, Arisato. You study greek mythology?" Mitsuru-senpai asked.

"I've know I few things. For example, Orpheus was a musician that traveled to the underworld to save his loved one."

"Ah yes, I think I remember reading about that."

"I'm not sure where Alice and the frosts fit in…"

"Pardon me, but we seem to have gotten off topic." Ikutsuki interrupted.

"Oh sorry." I said embarressed.

"Tartarus only appears during the dark hour, so I wouldn't expect you guys to know about it, outside of its role in mythology."

"The Dark Hour...? Oh that weird hour thingy." Said Koto.

"Just like the Shadows...Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."

Akihiko-senpai seems excited...

"Whoa... Their nest, huh...?"

"Ugh. I just imagined a bunch of spiders-"

"NO! KOTONE-SENPAI! STOP RIGHT THERE!" Junpei exclaimed… rather loudly...ow...

"Akihiko-senpai. Are you coming with us?" I asked.

"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance."

"...Freakin' multi-appenged..."

"I'm not so sure about this…" said Yukari.

"Relax, I've got your backs." Junpei said excitedly.

"What about you, Mr. Chairman?"

"I'll stay here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona…"  
>…..<p>

...The school?  
>"This is it? THIS is the place? Why HERE?"<p>

"What does the school have to do with this?"

"Just wait a few minutes… It's almost midnight."

We transitioned into the dark hour, and our school slowly transformed into this tall, disturbing building.

"This is Tartarus - the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

"Labyrinth...? What are you talking about!? What happened to our school!?"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."

"This is the "nest" you were talking about!? But, why!? ...Why'd our school turn into a giant tower!?"

"You don't know, either?"

"...No."

"I'm sure it's complicated." Yukari reassured.

"So school really is hell!"

"Dammit Koto."

"Maybe now we'll find out what this place is all about. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour…"

"Akihiko. I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today."

"I know... You don't have to remind me."

"Whoa... It's just as cool on the inside…"

"But, it sure is creepy…"

"It is a shadow nest. After all."

"This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs." Mitsuru-senpai said as she gestured up.

I looked up and saw the clock shaped door.

"Whoa, cool."

"First, we'll have you four get a feel for this place. Why don't you go have a look around?"

"What!? By ourselves!?"

"That doesn't sound safe..."

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here."

"We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real? ...One of us? Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!"  
>I sighed at Junpei-kun's immaturity.<p>

"It's between Minato and Kotone."

"You're older and your power is better than mine, you should be leader."

"Wha...? B-But she's a girl!"

"And I have blue hair. So are we just gonna keep saying the obvious or…"

"Wait, so having a vagina makes me unworthy?"

"T-that's not what I meant."

"Stupei…" Yukari sighed.

Everyday I hate you a little more Junpei-kun.

"Let's just go before Junpei says something racist." I said annoyed, leaving off the honorific for a reason.

"There are multiple reasons why either of them would be suitable. Not only have they fought them before, they obliterated them. They can also use multiple personas. Not to mention, they can summon their personas without an evoker."

"Really!?"

"Well, only Alice for me and Orpheus for her. We still need our evokers to summon the others. Enough chit-chat, we should get going. Ready Koto?"

"You betcha!"

"Haha, that's the spirit." Akihiko laughed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something glowing. Looking to the source, I saw a blueish door.

"...Koto. Is that the velvet room?"

"...It's velvet. And doors tend to lead to rooms. Think we can enter from there?"

"Let's give it a shot."

"Uh… what are you guys talking about?" Junpei asked confused.

We ignored him and walked to the door. Koto entered the key, which slid in. Inside, it was the velvet room. Waiting for us were Igor, Elizabeth, and Theodore.

"I've been waiting for you. The time has come for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about to venture into… How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

"You mean how we can both use multiple personas?"

"Indeed. Your power is unique. It's like the number zero… It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities. When you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp... But, do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly... Be sure to keep that in spare time will soon be scarce. But, please come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then about my true role... the manner in which I can best assist you. My assistants will aid you as well. Until then... Farewell."

"Senpai? Minato? Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, what's up? You look like zombies."

"Really? A zombie?"

"That's what you pick to dwell on!? Ohh, I get it. You're trying to yank my chain 't worry, though! I got you covered whenever you need it, man!"

Guess they can't see the door.

"Yeah, yeah. whatever. C'mon, let's go."

"Wait. I almost forgot. Is everyone ok with their weapons?" Akihiko-senpai asked.

"What's is everyone using?" I responded.

"I've still got my nagitama."

"I've got a two-handed sword."

"I've got a bow."

"Hm… what do you use Senpai?"

"I use boxing gloves, and Mitsuru uses rapier whenever she can fight."

"Any chance I could give those gloves a try?"

"Huh? Sure."

Akihiko handed me a pair of gloves.

"If Junpei-kun is using a sword, I might as well use something else for the sake of diversity."

I felt tugging on my pant leg.

"Huh? Alice? What's up?"

"Um… I'm not as strong as black frost. You'd be better off using him. I mean, I've only got megido and dia. Megido takes a lot of magic. I'll get stronger eventually, but I'm so weak it's not worth your time…" That sounded… disturbing familiar… well, she is supposed to be another side of me right?

"Hey you shouldn't say that…" I was a little surprised to see that Yukari could see her, but then again I guess she's a persona, and Yukari's a persona user so…

"Why can't I use you both?"

"You can but, it would be a waste…"

"Okay then, I'll help you get stronger, and then you can see your full potential."

"This isn't a game Minato, you can't risk your life just to make me happy."

I stuck out my pinkie.

"I promise, we'll get stronger together."

Alice hesitated, then she grabbed my pinkie with hers and smiled. Wait, did I just befriend myself?... best not to think about it too hard.

We walked up the stairs to officially start our journey.

_Kotone's POV  
><em>

"So, this is it, huh...?" Junpei asked.

"I hope I don't get lost…" Yukari worried.

"We be a'ight!" I laughed.

"Can you all hear me?"

"Suru-chan?"

"Suru-chan?" Suru-chan asked confused.

"Koto likes nicknames." Nato explained.

"I... see… I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."

"Wait... Ya mean, you can see inside here?"

"It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from  
>day to day. That's why outside support is imperative."<p>

"Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better…"

"Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute.  
>They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect."<br>"Right!"

"Got it. Why is she always like that...?"

I took a deep breath and started walking, the others close behind. I soon came across a shadow.

"It doesn't see you. Sneak behind it and attack!"

"Right!"

I slowly walked up to it and smacked it. It split into two smaller blobs with blue masks.

"Stay calm! When you do that, the shadows will be in a daze! Take advantage of it!"

"Girl I got this!" I summoned my card in my hand. "Orpheus!"

Orpheus appeared, and playing his harp, he released a small flame that hit the shadow.

"You hit the enemies weakness! Attack again!"

"I summon you!"

Orpheus did the same to the other shadow, but it missed!

"Junpei-kun!" Nato ran up to one of the shadows and roundhouse kicked it to Junpei-kun! Junpei summoned Hermes who slashed right through it!

The shadow got back up and attacked Minato with a bufu, but he dodged out of the way!

"Please hit!" Yukari said as she struck the shadow with her bow!

"I'll finish this! Alice, megido!"

Alice appeared and release blue orbs that finished off that shadows.

"You have the potential to grow even stronger! You did well!"

"Thanks!"

"There are shadows approaching!"

Three octopus looking thingys appeared.

"Orpheus, agi!"

The attack didn't do much damage…

"Just give me the word, and I'll find it's weakness!"

"Oh um, scan?"

'Roger, I'll attempt to analyze the enemy!"

Nato ran up and punched one of the squiddy thingamagics in the face! Junpei followed up and slashed it, Yukari, finished it off with an arrow!

"Excellent! Two enemies left!"

"Check this out!"

Junpei summoned his persona and cleaved straight through it!

I decided to join in and slashed at the shadow, then knocked it into the other!

"The enemy is weak against ice, use bufu skills!"

"Alright, change! King frost, bufula!'

Aiming my evoker to my head without hesitation, my giant frost appeared and knocked down the tiara, killing it in the process.

"Keep up the good... what are you doing."

"Victory posing!" I said as a spinned my weapon.

"...Sakuya this is serious."

Junpei-kun proceeded to crouch down and raise his fist in triumph.

"Come on guys... Minato-kun, tell them..." Yukari stared in shock as Minato struck a pose.

"Nice!" I complimented.

"Cool dude!"

"For the love of..." Yukari-chan facepalmed.

We kept looking around, we got some money somehow and fought off a few more shadows. Junpei-kun, Nato and I started victory posing again, and Suru-chan threatened to execute us if we didn't stop. We briefly heard Akihiko-kun screaming in the background, so we figured it was bad. Suru-chan didn't let us go to the next floor, so eventually we made our way to the access point.

"Welcome back. So, how was it?"  
>"Not that bad after getting used to it.."<p>

"I see. Well if you gained confidence, that's the best thing you could have achieved."

"Wow... I never knew I had that kinda power! But damn, I'm beat…"

"That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid."  
>"So were you Yukari-chan. You kinda looked like you were dancing with your bow." Nato observed.<p>

"Right!?" Junpei-kun exclaimed.

"I wasn't dancing! That's just how I hold my bow!"

"*yawn* anyone else tired?" Minato asked.

"You're always tired! But then again, I feel kinda off too…"

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry, though, you'll adapt. But, I'm surprised... You all did much better than I this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko… Akihiko?"

"They're so young… they have so much to live for…" Apparently he was still shaken up by that execution thingy. After snapping Akihi-kun out of his trance, we walked back home after a successful first night.

Minato's POV

"Suru-chan I'm hungry… can we get some munchies?"

"No."

"But my poor belly cries out for sustenance!" As if on cue, Kotone's stomach growled.

"First of all, everyone, including the store clerks, are in their coffins right now."

"And that's a problem because…"

"I rather hope you're not implying what I think you're implying." She said as she shot a death glare at Kotone.

"Nope! I'm not implying anything! What is implying!? Why are we here? Who are you?" She asked looking at Junpei-kun.

"Second of all, what would happen if we suddenly teleported in front of those people, with our clothing dirty from battle."

"*sigh* good point. Sorry Mrs. Tummy, you gon starve."

"Mrs?" Junpei-kun asked.

"Yeah, she's married to ."

"While I'd love to keep talking about your gastrointestinal issues Kotone, we need to pick up the pace, the dark hour is almost over." said Akihiko-senpai.

"I'll make you something when we get home. Okay Koto?"

"Yay! Thank you Nato!" She exclaimed as she bear hugged me.

"I swear, it's like he's the older brother…" I heard Yukari-chan mutter.

And with that I have a bit of an update to make. I was really busy with school, which is why there were no updates for months. But I assure you I am alive. So, both of my stories are going on hiatus for a bit. Because I want to take time to plan out the rest of both genuine bonds and this one, because tbh, except for a few ideas, I've kinda just been making it up as I go along, which is a really bad idea. I apologize, I should have had the whole thing ready before the first chapter. But in my defense, both of these stories were kinda made on a whim. So, I'll see you soon after the outline of my stories are finished!


End file.
